Heat pump additive providing enhanced efficiency

ABSTRACT

Improvements in the efficiency of heat pump systems including refrigeration units, heating and air conditioning systems and the like using a composition that is a pump oil comprising at least a compressor oil and, a material selected from the group consisting of an organic phosphate and mixtures of organic phosphates and, a hydxotreated heavy naphthenic distillate.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention deals with improvements in the efficiency of heat pumpsystems including refrigeration units, heating and air conditioningsystems and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For many years, efforts have been made to improve the energy efficiencyof heating and cooling units which function on the heat pump principle.

Once such improvement can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,963,280, thatissued on Oct. 16, 1990 to Wilkins, et al in which there is disclosed amethod of improving the efficiency of a heat pump system by introducinginto the pump's oil system a polar compound which is liquid under saidsystem's operating conditions. The problem with the method is that thepolar compound has chlorine in it which eventually is displaced from thecompound by the presence of water, which chlorine is destructive to themetal components of the pump.

THE INVENTION

Thus, what is disclosed and claimed herein is an additive for compressorpump oil providing enhanced efficiency to the pump. The pump oilcomprises a compressor oil and, a material selected from the groupconsisting of an organic phosphate and mixtures of organic phosphatesand, a hydro-treated heavy naphthenic distillate. As used herein,“organic phosphates” means all valence states of phosphorus, includingphosphates and phosphites.

In addition, the compressor oil can also contain polycarboxylate basednatural fatty acids or mixtures of polycarboxylate based natural fattyacids, antioxidants, mixtures of antioxidants, corrosion inhibitors,mixtures of corrosion inhibitors, non-ferrous metal deactivators, and,mixtures of non-ferrous metal deactivators.

What is preferred in this invention is an oil containing a compressoroil and a material selected from the group consisting of: organicphosphates or mixtures of organic phosphates; at least one hydrotreatedheavy naphthenic distillate; at least one polycarboxylate based naturalfatty acid; at least one antioxidant; at least one corrosion inhibitor,and, at least one non-ferrous metal deactivator.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention deals with improvements in the efficiency of heatpump systems. Such systems include, for example, centrifugalcompressors, diagonal or mixed-flow compressor, axial-flow compressors,reciprocating compressors, rotary screw compressors, rotary vanecompressor, scroll compressors, diaphragm compressors, air bubblecompressor, and hermetically sealed, open, or semi-hermetic compressors.There are two main compressor types, namely, positive displacement anddynamic. The dynamic contains centrifugal and axial pumps, and thepositive displacement has two kinds, reciprocating and rotary. Thereciprocating variety contains diaphragm, double acting and sing actingand the rotary contains lobes, screw, liquid ring, scroll and vanepumps.

In particular, this invention deals with compressible fluids that areused in such pumps. Most early prior art commonly used materials forthis application were Freon® (Dupont) and ammonia. Today, more and morecompressible fluids are used in such pumps. In order to prolong theusefulness of such fluids, additives are put into the fluids.

The fluids (oils) of this invention are comprised of conventional oilsfor this use. The inventor herein has discovered that the addition oforganic phosphates or mixture of organic phosphates, in conjunction withhydrotreated heavy naphthenic distillates provide useful fluids.

As noted Supra, the “phosphates” useful herein can be phosphates and/orphosphites and one such phosphate is, for example, Doverphos 613 Alkyl(C12-C15) bisphenol A Phosphite sold by Dover Chemical Co., Dover, Ohio,USA. Dover also supplies Doverphos 253, Dioleyl hydrogen phosphite.

The materials are merely blended together to create the inventivecompositions described herein.

EXAMPLES

A B C D E F 58NR

20 50 80 54NR

20 50 80 613  1  2  4  1  2  4 WF-68 80 50 20 50 50 20 Doverphos 253AR-GLO/E RC-8100 RC-9308 Performance Stability @ Excell. 2 phase 2 phaseExcell. ambient G H I J K L M 58NR

54NR

613 100 WF-68 100 90 50 20 90 50 20 Doverphos 253 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 AR-GLO/E0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 RC-8100 10 50 80 RC-9308 10 80 80Performance Ex. Ex. Stability @ Ex. Ex. ambient

Product Description Manufacturer AR Glo/E a universal dye formulated forSpectroline Products polyol ester systems 58NR

Chlorinated Olefin, 56% Dover Chemical Co. chlorine 54NR

Chlorinated Olefin, 54% Dover Chemical Co. chlorine Doverphos 613 Alkyl(C12-C15) bisphenol A Dover Chemical Co. Phosphite WF-68 C-15-C-50hydrotreated heavy Chevron Products Co. naphthenic distillates Doverphos253 Dioleyl hydrogen phosphite Dover Chemical Co. RC-8100Polycarboxylate based on natural RheinChemie Co. fatty acids RC-9308Combination of anti-oxidents, RheinChemie Co corrosion inhibitors andnon- ferrous metal deactivators

 prior art compositions

Stability Aging at Ambient (23 C/50% R.H.) for 2+ years Performance

A York Model water-cooled, self-contained air conditioner of 3.3 toncooling capacity, powered by a 3.0 horsepower compressor drives by a208/220 v, three phase, 60 hertz electric motor was used. A hermeticallysealed compressor with condenser, expansion valve, evaporator andattendant Freon R-22 control system was used for performance testing.The York system contained 0.875 gallons of York “C’ oil. The amount ofproduct added to the York C oil was 2.5% additive to the oil in thesystem.

The KWH consumed by the inventive compositions over time wassignificantly reduced compared to the control.

What is claimed is:
 1. An oil having enhanced efficiency, said oilcomprised of a. compressor oil; b. a material selected from the groupconsisting of: i. an organic phosphate and ii. a mixture of organicphosphates, and, c. a hydrotreated heavy napfathenic distillate.
 2. Theoil as claimed in claim 1 wherein, in addition, there is present amaterial selected from the group consisting of: i. a polycarboxylatebased natural fatty acid and ii. a mixture of polycarboxylate basednatural fatty acids.
 3. The oil as claimed in claim 1 wherein, inaddition, there is present a material selected from the group consistingof: i. an antioxidant, and, ii. a mixture of antioxidants.
 4. The oil asclaimed in claim 1 wherein, in addition, there is present a materialselected from the group consisting of: i. a corrosion inhibitor and, ii.a mixture of corrosion inhibitors.
 5. The oil as claimed in claim 1wherein, in addition, there is present a material selected from thegroup consisting of: i. a non-ferrous metal deactivator and, ii. amixture of non-ferrous metal deactivators.
 6. A oil having enhancedefficiency, said oil comprising: a. a compreeeor oil; b. a materialselected from the group consisting of: an organic phosphate and amixture of organic phosphates, and, c. at least one Hydrotreated heavynaphthenic distillate; d. at least one polycarboxylate based naturalfatty acid; e. at least one antioxidant; f. at least one corrosioninhibitor, and, g. at least one non-ferrous metal deactivator.